A new airline is poised to connect the archipelagic Northern Marianas and the island of Guam.
In a press release, MP Enterprises President Keith Stewart broke the news that they will be providing inter-island transport with a yet-to-be named airline, offering 90 weekly flights to Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and Guam.
“The airline will revolutionize inter-island travel within the CNMI,” Stewart said adding that they are looking at a fleet of seven planes to meet the demand of the islands in a span of three years.
No announcement of the airline’s name, schedules, and fares has been made pending Department of Transportation approval.
“The goal was to also meet the needs of inter-island travel following a recommendation from Gov. (Ralph) Torres that airlines explore the possibility of inter-island solutions that would help to lower the cost of flights between Saipan, Tinian, Rota and Guam,” said MP Enterprises President Keith Stewart in a news release.
Stewart was pleased to announce MP Enterprises’ partnership with Southern Airways to operate the new airline in the Marianas starting in July this year.
Southern Airways chief executive officer Stan Little is equally excited with the new venture. “Southern is very excited to partner with MP Enterprises. With our more than 240 peak-day departures across six time zones, we have worked very hard to establish ourselves as a respected presence in the airline community. Expanding our footprint to include the CNMI and Guam further cements Southern’s place among the world’s leading airlines.”
Born out of necessity, the new airline was conceived two years ago as the proprietors recognized that a reliable inter-island transportation is crucial to the growth of the local economy.
The new airline hopes to address food and job security by looking into export markets targeting food and energy sectors, and providing local jobs.